If you were to ask most independent wrestling fans what the most annoying trait of any company is, it’s not staying current with their product in terms of DVD production. The biggest criticism of PWG for years now has been how slowly their DVD’s come out. It was a huge problem (and to some extent still is) with Dragon Gate USA and EVOLVE. Don’t even get me started on FIP, who is well over two years behind on DVD’s at this point. The reason for this is that by the time the shows do come out, they’re obsolete and interest has dwindled significantly.

On the other hand, older shows are sometimes clamored for by fans. Jersey All Pro and CHIKARA have released older shows in order to satiate the fans who asked for them to do so. As icing on the cake, CHIKARA re-recorded commentary for their first two shows with Mike Quackenbush and Bryce Remsburg delving into a lot of the early history of CHIKARA as a company. Even if the action and production value isn’t even comparable to today’s CHIKARA DVDs, the commentary alone was enough to warrant a purchase.

Beyond Wrestling did the exact same thing with this double DVD release. Beyond went back into the vault and pulled two shows from late 2009 and finally released them together on DVD. In addition to the regular commentary options (on or off), a third option was added: listen to commentary from Beyond founder Denver Colorado and Beyond star Chris Dickinson. The commentary here is fascinating, as you get tons of insight into the early days of Beyond Wrestling, Denver and Chris’ honest thoughts on the people involved, and so much more. You’ll hear Dickinson talk about his critics, his time in EVOLVE and his take on professional wrestling. Meanwhile Denver talks about Beyond as a whole, his initial thoughts on guys in the company and his overall goals. Much like the CHIKARA 2002 DVD, the commentary to me is the main selling point. There’s still quite a bit of good wrestling on here, which brings us to the proper review:

”All Dude Review”
Elyria, OH – 10.25.2009

Chris Dickinson vs. Hailey Hatred

Hatred’s able to take advantage of Dickinson early. Dickinson looked reluctant to hit a woman, but as it turned out it was all a ruse. He beats the ever loving shit out of Hatred and she absorbs all of it like a true champion. Dickinson keeps control until missing a springboard elbow. Hatred now has her turn to unleashe her attacks on Dickinson. Dickinson responds with a headbutt, so she yakuza kicks him for two. Hailey and Dickinson trade control. Hailey gets a sweet Dragon suplex for two. Dickinson delivers a Falcon Arrow for two. Hailey drops him on his head with an arm-capture Saito suplex for two. Dickinson begs for Hatred to kick him in the head, which she gladly does. Dickinson catches her with a powerbomb for two. She kicks out of a huge lariat too. Finally, a cradle DDT gets Dickinson the victory at 10:32. I really liked the way this match went. Dickinson started to develop his “inner beast” and set the table for becoming the top heel in Beyond Wrestling. At the same time, Hatred “proved herself” as the only women in Beyond Wrestling. They beat the crap out of each other for our enjoyment while achieving a two-pronged goal I nthe end. ***

Dickinson continues to beat on Hatred post match until Vincent Nothing saves her. He begs Dickinson to try and kick his ass. Dickinson backs down.

Faith In Nothing (Christian Faith & Vincent Nothing) vs. The Island Kings (Jonny Mangue & Sean Maluta)

Although the Kings jump Faith in Nothing at the bell, it’s Faith in Nothing who take the early lead. Faith ends up getting tripped by Mangue on the outside, which allows the Kings to turn the tide and isolate Nothing in their corner. After being double teamed for awhile, Nothing drops Maluta with a German suplex. Faith tags in and takes both Kings out. FIN’s attempt a double DDT has no effect on the Island Kings’ hard Samoan heads. They respond with a superkick, then a Samoan Drop/Back Cracker combo on Nothing. Faith saves Nothing and disposes of Maluta. A rolling elbow gets Faith the pin on Mangue for the pin at 8:08. Both teams looked real good here. I like how the Kings didn’t play up being Samoan to a comical degree and just proved themselves to be good wrestlers. Faith In Nothing are always excellent, and it’s a bit of a shame that neither of these teams exist anymore. **3/4

Team Beyond (Chase Burnett & Zane Silver) vs. The Young Studs (Bobby Beverly & Eric Ryan)

Moreso than the last match, this served as a showcase for both teams. From bell to bell, the action never stopped. Both teams had their shit together and busted out tons of cool moves and sequences that as a fan and reviewer I have never seen. Keep in mind, all four of these guys would grow tremendously as wrestlers, which is why it’s so remarkable to see how good they were here. This really was a treat to watch, and the time flew by. The Studs pin Silver after hitting a Cop Killa/Warrior’s Way double team move (coupled with an awesome Low Ki impersonation by Dickinson) at 11:04. ***1/4

Chris Dickinson vs. Jonny Mangue

This was another showcase match, but this time for two guys who would end up being partners. Although that wasn’t teased, you could see how well these two worked together and got a taste for the diversity in their arsenal. They were able to do some good mat work, then brawl a little on the floor, then do a bit of striking and high flying. At this point, Dickinson was more well-rounded and being groomed for the top spot (as previously stated). He ended up hurting his knee for real (as stated in the commentary) pulling off a springboard elbow that caused him to jump all the way across the ring. The damage wasn’t severe enough, and Dickinson managed to hit the Falcon Arrow for the pin at 11:38. **3/4

”High Five Academy”
Elyria, OH – 12.19.2009

The Beyond show scheduled for today fell apart because of a snow storm in the area. Because of it, then ten wrestlers who were able to make it and dedicate the entirety of their time to the taping were put in a one night seven match tournament.

Quarter-Final Round
Louis Lyndon vs. Hailey Hatred

Lyndon and Hatred took it to the mat, which is something you don’t see too often from these two. What they did was pretty good, but a little hesitancy on Lyndon’s part hurt the flow of the match once or twice. It was nice to see a different side of both of these competitors to see that Lyndon is more than just a “flippy guy” and Hatred isn’t just a tough chick who brawls. Hatred ended up getting the pin with a Gedo Clutch at 6:33. **1/2

Quarter-Final Round
Flip Kendrick vs. Corvis Fear

Fear essentially controlled the entire first half of the match. He was goofing off a bit with the camera man at first. Whenever Kendrick would go for a dive or flip or something of that nature, Fear would trip him or do something to cut him off. All it took was one dropkick from Kendrick and he was able to hit a multitude of flips on Fear. Fear however rolled out of the corner and caught Kendrick with a German suplex. Kendrick comes back with a leg-capture DDT for two. Kendrick blocks a Shining Wizard and snapmare driver and hits a package DDT. Fear hits a reverse snapmare for the pin at 10:11. I am fairly certain I’ve said this before, but I honestly think Fear is the best all around guy in Beyond. He’s innovative, he’s exciting, he’s entertaining…he’s just got “it”. Kendrick’s good to and was a great foe for him, and these two managed to put together a really fun, tight match. ***

Quarter-Final Round
Chris Dickinson vs. Eric Ryan

Dickinson takes control on the mat for quite a bit. The few times Ryan was able to reverse a hold or escape, Dickinson took control again quickly. Both guys trade pin attempts, looking to end this thing quickly. A suplex allows Dickinson to once again keep Ryan on the mat. Ryan grabs the ropes right as Dickinson goes for a cross armbreaker. Dickinson targets his attack on Ryan’s arm. In the ring he puts a chair around Ryan’s arm. The referee threatens disqualification, causing him to change his mind. Ryan kicks out of a Falcon Arrow, so Dickinson applies a Tequila Sunrise for the pin at 9:39. Another example of Dickinson looking like a beast and becoming one of the top guys on the roster.

Quarter-Final Round
Luis Diamante vs. Joey The Snake

DA LATIN CRIME SYNDICATE EXPLODES! Well…maybe just lights a spark and fizzles. This was just a lot of moves with no rhyme or reason. Even the wrestlers ringside sat on their hands for this match. I’m thinking of thins to say and having a hard time doing so. Diamante hits a flying knee strike for the pin at 4:57. *

Semi-Final Round
Corvis Fear vs. Hailey Hatred

Fear shows some resistance to fighting Hatred, but then takes things in a 180 and uses some cheauvanistic maneuvers against her. Hatred shows she’s not one to mess with, dishing out a flurry of forearms and punches and whatnot to Fear. Pissed off, Fear takes over, choking her on the ropes and generally just beating the hell out of her. Hatred was able to make a comeback, ending up going toe to toe with Fear. Fear backed into the corner with the referee. When Hatred approached, Fear nailed her with a headbutt. He then springboards into an ace crusher for the pin at 10:00. Another good match from both competitors. I liked the story they told and really looked like they were beating the crap out of one another. **3/4

Semi-Final Round
Chris Dickinson vs. Luis Diamante

This was stiff, but also very hollow. For all the Dickinson detractors, this is pretty much everything you hate about him; yelling, striking and kicking with intensity and no real story. Diamante didn’t carry his weight here, though him kicking knocked out by a kick to the head (at 7:02) was a good call. *1/2

Final Round
Corvis Fear vs. Chris Dickinson

On the surface, you see this tournament and think “what’s the point of this? What happens if you win?” However, once you get to the end and sees these two, this tournament came down to the top 2 guys in Beyond. Fear and Dickinson have a competitive match, both of them wanting to prove their better than the other. However, it’s made two that these two are friends and don’t wish to do each other any real harm…until Dickinson dropped to his knee. He grabbed his knee and Fear wanted to do nothing more than make sure his friend was okay. Of course, as Fear is checking on him, Dickinson kicks Fear and drops him with a pump-handle piledriver for the pin at 9:51. A little on the short side, but Dickinson and Fear still got an opportunity to display both of their abilities and set the stage for both of these guys going forward in Beyond Wrestling. Beyond had already showcased that they could produce good wrestling, and by the end of this tournament, they proved they could have these guys’ personas and characters come across as well. **3/4

Overall: This is such a fun DVD to watch. You get two solid shows that fly by with enjoyable and insightful commentary by two guys who personify Beyond Wrestling. It’s cool to see all these talents then and how so many of them have progressed tremendously, passing through EVOLVE, Dragon Gate USA, CHIKARA and international companies. If you’re not entirely sold on the Beyond concept, this DVD might change your mind. If you are sold on the concept, this DVD is essential viewing. You can buy it on either Beyond Wrestling’s website or on Smart Mark Video.

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